WPA Literature-Related Poster #1

The Core would like to share an interesting source of literature-related art: The Federal Art Project, the visual arts arm of the WPA program from August 29, 1935 until June 30, 1943.

The FAP commissioned unemployed artists, including Jackson Pollack, to create public service posters, murals and paintings. The paintings depict various programs and projects sponsored by the government: health and safety programs, cultural programs which include art exhibitions, theatrical, and musical performances, travel and tourism, educational programs, and community activities. The posters were printed mainly on poster board, but they were also produced as one-sheet and multi-sheet designs and were sometimes signed by the artist.

Here is the daily sample:

This poster by an unknown artist is titled, In March Read the Books You've Always Meant to Read. It was commissioned for an Illinois statewide library project, and shows a windblown woman with books by authors such as Scott, Dumas, Thackeray, Dickens, and others.

Post a Comment

Your email address is never shared. Required fields are marked *

Name*

Email*

Website

Comment

Welcome!

The Core Blog is a hub for information and media related to the CAS Core Curriculum at Boston University. It will be updated regularly, with photo galleries, interviews, links to related reading online, news of events or activities, and other kinds of content that help connect our Core people—prospective, current, and former students—with each other.
You can stop by here once a week to scroll through the posts, or make this your homepage in order to keep your finger on the pulse of the Core. Either way, we hope you find this to be a pleasant way to strengthen your connection with the great people, the great books, and the great questions we encounter in the Core.